Bustamante was one of five female broadcasters from the show’s affiliates selected by viewers to share the stage with Philbin during the “From Local to ‘Live!’ Co-host for a Day” promotion. A mass communication graduate, Bustamante joined WWL-TV in 2004. She reports and anchors the station's 10 p.m. newscast and a 9 p.m. newscast on WUPL-TV.

Bustamante said she was surprised and grateful to be chosen for the promotion.

“Believe it or not, I found out through a relative on Facebook who watched the show on the East Coast,” Bustamante said. “I feel so blessed that people would go through the hassle of registering online just to vote.”

“There is definitely a responsibility to represent New Orleans well,” she said.

For more information on the School of Mass Communication in the College of Social Sciences, contact Catherine Koppel in the Office of Public Affairs at 504-861-5448 or by e-mail at ckoppel@loyno.edu.